FE&S’ annual look at the top 100 foodservice equipment and supplies dealers by sales volume.

Sales among the top 100 foodservice equipment and supplies dealers increased by 11.15 percent to $5.94 billion, according to FE&S' 2013 Distribution Giants Study. In addition, 79 percent of dealers reported an increase in sales this year and another 9 percent reported their sales remained flat. Still, the fact that 12 percent reported a decline in sales for 2012 indicates that the dealer community still faces some challenges on its path back to prosperity.

While the topline sales growth is certainly welcome news, and many feel this segment of the industry is ripe for merger and acquisition related activities, the pressure is still not off the dealer community. In fact, many foodservice equipment and supplies dealers continue to bemoan the fact that margins remain tight due to such a competitive and conservative business environment. Only 35 percent of dealers participating in FE&S' 2013 Industry Forecast Study projected an increase in gross profits for 2012. These pressures show no signs of relenting as dealers contemplate price increases to offset a variety of business factors, including increased freight and labor costs and higher prices from factories.

The following pages contain lots of data about the industry's top 100 dealers, including 88 companies that chose to participate and 12 for which we had to provide estimates. We hope that you find the information useful and if you have any suggestions about how to improve this study, do not hesitate to let us know.